Advanced Japanese STP skill can solve city’s sewage woes

JR Moses, CEO of Hubert Enviro Care Systems (HECS), said that only 30-40% of the city’s total sewage is being treated by the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) STPs. “The rest of it is going untreated to the waterbodies. In addition to CMWSSB plants, private agencies maintain the STPs for large establishments like IT parks, hotels, malls and other such edifices. The problem here is that there is no standardisation, which means that most of the plants are inappropriately designed and maintained,” he said, adding that there is a need for an efficient system.

The problems with conventional STPs are the noise and odour, apart from safety standards. “The new CPCB guidelines on STPs make most of the installed STPs obsolete. For this, we need an advanced system and the Japanese Packaged STP or Johkasou is right for our needs. The technology is advanced and meets the CPCB guidelines and the installation is small. The Johkasou can be fitted above ground or below and consumes only 20% of the electricity used by conventional STPs. In addition, these are covered plants and are safe. Since the plant is covered, there is no odour and there is no requirement for a person to operate. The magnetic blowers mean that there is much lesser noise,” added Moses, whose company is the distributor and technology partner for South India. 

The Johkasou needs a maintenance only once a month, where the sludge is removed. “It is a fit and forget sort of a mechanism and can last for 50 years with some minimal maintenance,” said Moses, at a technical session organised by FICCI on Thursday. 

With the demand for STPs predicted to rise, there is a need for standardisation of technology. Ryota Waza, India Marketing Section, Project Business, Division, Daiki Axis Co. Ltd, the second largest manufacturers of the Johkasau STPs, while presenting the technology, said, “In Japan, the STP manufacturing, maintenance and dealership are strictly standardised and tested by the government.” 

Moses added, “The State government too should ensure standardisation of STP design as currently, anybody and everybody is trying to install STPs, which end up being useless and inefficient.” 

The cost of Johkasou would work out to be 10% more than the market cost of a standard STP. “However, if the government gives tax rebates on the import, the cost will come down further. We are hopeful that we will soon start manufacturing this technology here in India and provide all the allied maintenance services too,” concluded Moses.